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Not sure if jewelweed grows in Florida, but up here in Michigan anywhere you find poison ivy there is usually jewelweed growing right next to it. Google search it it is also called pitcher plant. Growing up I got P.I. 3 to 4 times a Summer until I found out about this plant. What I do is if I believe I have gotten into poison ivy I grab a large handful of the plant especially the stems and crush them in my hands. They are very watery so no problem getting enough "juice" out of them. Then just rub juice all over skin and clothes

I have not had poison ivy since I was a kid but always use this trick just in case when in the woods. I pick mushrooms so I am walking thru poison ivy alot.

I'm crazy sensitive to the stuff too but have been pretty lucky the last few years. I know I waded through a big patch of the stuff on the AT about 2 years ago but never got a bump. Only way I can figure this happened is that my allergies were going crazy at the same time so I was already taking antihistamines daily anyway. I guess this was enough to keep my body in check.

Good luck with the cleaning job. Some good old Dawn or similar dish detergent should do the trick. I'm not very familiar with the clark but can you separate the top/fly from the body? There's no reason really to wash the fly and the body of the hammock isn't waterproof so there's no worry. Maybe go ahead and soak/wash the guylines and tree straps if you think those came into contact with some oak/ivy.

Any chance your hiking poles are covered too? That was my biggest worry after my trip so I soaked/scrubbed them with Simple Green (non-toxic degreaser) when I got home and so far so good.

I'm crazy sensitive to the stuff too but have been pretty lucky the last few years. I know I waded through a big patch of the stuff on the AT about 2 years ago but never got a bump. Only way I can figure this happened is that my allergies were going crazy at the same time so I was already taking antihistamines daily anyway. I guess this was enough to keep my body in check.

Good luck with the cleaning job. Some good old Dawn or similar dish detergent should do the trick. I'm not very familiar with the clark but can you separate the top/fly from the body? There's no reason really to wash the fly and the body of the hammock isn't waterproof so there's no worry. Maybe go ahead and soak/wash the guylines and tree straps if you think those came into contact with some oak/ivy.

Any chance your hiking poles are covered too? That was my biggest worry after my trip so I soaked/scrubbed them with Simple Green (non-toxic degreaser) when I got home and so far so good.

Antihistamines don't prevent a flair up. They are only there to mitigate any itching that may occur due to allergies.

Getting poison ivy, will only occur if you happen upon either a root or broken plant. The oil itself doesn't reside on the plant but within the plant. Think of it like maple syrup in the tree. So until the plant is broken, nothing is secreted.

+1 on dish detergent. Usherol chemically binds WITH SKIN. Not with fabric. In fabric, ordinary grease-cutting detergents will wash it out.

My other thought is that your second outbreak may not have been a result of exposure from your gear or from your second hike. Once the steroid shot (which suppresses your immune system) wore off, your immune system immediately ramped up its response to the first exposure. Steroids have to be TAPERED off to avoid this rebound effect which is often as bad as the initial response. Perhaps your doctor should have given you oral steroids to taper off to avoid this. Don't be surprised if you get a third response when your second shot wears off even without additional exposure.

Still, it's probably a good idea to wash your gear, since you got into poison ivy somewhere. Wash your hammock in a bucket with dish detergent and rinse well with a hose. Hang to dry. Best of luck to you!!

Last edited by Pipsissewa; 01-06-2013 at 09:14.

"Pips"

Mountains have a dreamy way
Of folding up a noisy day​In quiet covers, cool and gray.

Don't forget to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts and rubber gloves when washing down all your gear. Sounds like you maybe have a good exposure to the P.I. I got some on a tool belt I wore everyd and kept getting a rash on my arms weeks later till I washed down all my gear.

I am highly sensitive to P Ivy, Oak, and Sumac. Take your pick. I have actually been admitted to the hospital twice with it. Not much fun.

After the many times I have gotten it, I have learned to wash down everything I own in old fashion, out of the box Tide. When I say everything, I mean me too When I get home from hiking or working in the yard I have a small box of Tide that I wash me off with. Along with that I wash all my clothing and even my tent/hammock on gentle with Tide.

I been doing it for the last 45 years and any reaction has been mild compare to what I had before. My Mom started using the Tide on me at the recommendation of the doctor after my second hospital visit. Below is a cut/paste from a source about soaps. I suspect the suspending ability until rinses is why Tide takes the PI oil out of clothing and off skin.

"Procter & Gamble began an ambitious mission to change the way Americans washed their clothes. Researchers discovered two-part molecules which they called synthetic surfactants. Each part of the "miracle molecules" executed a specific function--one pulled grease and dirt from the clothes, while the other suspended dirt until it could be rinsed away. In 1933, this discovery was introduced in a detergent called "Dreft," but it could only handle lightly soiled jobs. The next goal was to create a detergent that could clean heavily soiled clothes. That detergent was Tide®.

Created in 1943, Tide detergent was the combination of synthetic surfactants and "builders." The builders helped the synthetic surfactants penetrate the clothes more deeply to attack greasy, difficult stains. Tide was introduced to test markets in October 1946 as the world’s first heavy-duty detergent."

I don't think soap will dissolve the Urushoil enough to be effective. I would deff use a bucket method though but instead of soap use Tecnu Wash. It worked on a set of tree straps a while back to remove the oil.
Good Luck!

+1 I've had very good luck with Technu and I usually have some around. When I don't have any I mix one part Dawn dish soap to one part mineral spirits. It really does the trick but can explode in a washing machine .

Originally Posted by nickgann

... Any soap will do, the whole idea is an agent that will bind to the oil and break its bond with the cloth material. Technu wash is nice, but you don't need it. Use what you have.

I have to disagree with you here, the irritant from poison ivy is an oil and not all soaps and detergents remove oils well. Degreasers will cut the oil though.

Originally Posted by nickgann

Antihistamines don't prevent a flair up. They are only there to mitigate any itching that may occur due to allergies...

Sorry I have to disagree again . I find that antihistamines slow the spread of rash once I have it.

Originally Posted by Alan Burd

Don't forget to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts and rubber gloves when washing down all your gear. Sounds like you maybe have a good exposure to the P.I. ...

So here is the synopsis. After considering everyone's suggestions, I took a little bit from everyone and went with the following method.

1) Created my own disposable chem suit (which maybe I should post in the DIY section )

2) Used warm water, a degreaser dish soap, filled a storage container about 1/3 of the way full with a mild soapy solution.

3) Hand washed for about 10 minutes and rinsed with a detachable shower head.

4) Hung to dry on the porch then bleached the hell out of the shower.

5) Discarded chem suit and quickly took a cold shower (in another bathroom)

Note: I have washed everything else I took on the last couple trips to make sure it's all free of the urushoil.

Here are a few pics (because I like looking at picture and assume everyone else does too and because it's Sunday and I don't have anything else to do, now that my Miami Dolphins are done for the season) Hope you guys like the chem suit. The other arm looked exactly the same but I wouldn't have been able to take a picture with the other glove on.